I was so pleasantly surprised how wonderful my Smithfield All Natural Fresh Pork Shoulder Picnic cooked up in the slow cooker. In my opinion, slow cooker meals can be hit or miss, with lots of misses. Well, folks, these simple, flavorful carnitas are anything but a miss!

Smithfield All Natural Fresh Pork Shoulder Picnic is naturally tender and juicy without added steroids, hormones or artificial ingredients. And it sure makes for the most delicious carnitas!

What goes best with a well seasoned, savory meat? Something a little on the sweet side… am I right? This Mango Avocado Salsa pairs absolutely perfectly with my yummy Smithfield All Natural Fresh Pork.

Not only did my WHOLE family thoroughly enjoy this dinner, the recipe could not be easier. Simply throw a few ingredients into the slow cooker and let it do its thing. While all that goodness is cooking up, prepare the mango avocado salsa with a little chopping and tossing.

Once your meat has finished slow cooking, this meal can be on your table in less than 10 minutes. A true foodie dream dish if you ask me. And speaking of foodie, my mom is my foodie hero! She taught me everything I know in the kitchen. I think she would be pretty proud of these carnitas. And she might be the best cook I know, but she’s also one of the best people I know. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for others- she’s so caring and completely committed to the people she loves.

Who is your hero? Who in your life goes above and beyond? Smithfield wants to know. Scroll down to the bottom of the post, where you can nominate someone who embraces compassion, care and commitment in their community by entering the #SmithfieldCares Sweepstakes.

Do yourself a favor, when you’re out grocery shopping this weekend, pick up Smithfield All Natural Fresh Pork Shoulder Picnic and the other simple ingredients and get this dinner on the table. If your family’s anything like mine, they’ll be requesting this meal on the regular. These slow cooker carnitas with mango avocado salsa are legit! They’re:

Even the novice can make these carnitas. All that’s left to do is sit back and watch your family marvel at what they’re eating. This meal works fabulously as both a busy weeknight meal or even for lazy weekends, when you just want to stay in front of the couch vegging out. I also love making the carnita meat to use in other recipes, like salads, soups and more.

Heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the pork and sear on each side until browned (about 1-2 minutes per side). Transfer pork to the slow cooker.

Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, and give the mixture a stir to combine. Cook on low for about 6 hours or on high for about 4 hours and until the pork is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork.

Once the pork is cooked, preheat your broiler to high heat and prepare a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Use two forks to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, and then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the prepared baking sheet, spreading the pork in an even layer and leaving the juices behind in the slow cooker. (Don't discard the juices, you'll use them later)

Place baking sheet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, and until the edges of the pork begin browning and crisping up. Remove the sheet from the oven, then spoon about 1/4 cup of the juices from the slow cooker evenly over the pork, and toss with tongs. Broil for an additional 5 minutes, then remove and spoon an additional 1/4 cup of broth over the pork.

Serve immediately in tacos, burritos, salads, or soup! The pork is good for up to about 4 days refrigerated in a sealed container, or frozen in a sealed container for up to 3 months.

I make the mango avocado salsa while my pork is cooking. Simply stir together all ingredients.

Recipe Notes

*If you love your pork medium rare, you should cook it to an internal temperature of 145 degrees (followed by a three-minute rest). If you like your pork a little more done, you can cook them to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.**Measurements for the salsa ingredients don't have to be exact. I gave exact measurements to help you out if you buy prechopped.

We were just talking about going out for tacos this weekend…and then I see this post! And now we’ll be making tacos this weekend! I love carnitas, and I love slow cookers…so these tacos are definitely right up my alley. That salsa sounds incredible, too! #client